Mercedes To Switch To All Black Livery In Stand Against Racism

Mercedes is set to switch the colors of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas's cars to black as a stand against racism. It is part of the company's initiative to improve the level of diversity in the team.

The announcement came in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of the movement. Hamilton also stated there would be a new commission for the improvement of diversity in Motorsport.

Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, said that racism and discrimination do not have a place in the society or the sport. He added that it is a core belief of the team that the right ideas and mindset are not enough if everyone remains silent.

In accordance, Formula 1 also launched the #WeRaceAsOne initiative that focuses on identifying educational and employment opportunities for the under-represented groups in Motorsport. Only 3% of the workforce identify as part of the minority ethnic groups, while 12% of the workers in the organization as well are women, F1 wrote through in their official new site.

Lack of diversity shows there is a need for new an approach to attract new talents from other areas of the society which have not been considered in the past. F1 also stated they are announcing a diversity and inclusion program which will be initiated before the end of the season.

Wolf indicated that they are not going to shy away from their weakness in that department. The livery change is their public pledge to take action for the situation. The intention is to find and attract the best options from the largest range of backgrounds.

Hamilton and Bottas are also going to race in black overalls with both drivers adapting helmet designs. The power racers will also take part in the movement by featuring the call to ‘End Racism’ on the halo of Mercedes cars.